Caren Wilcox is the former executive director of the Organic Trade Association (2006 – 2008) and currently operates her own strategic planning business, Caren Wilcox & Associates LLC. From 1997 to 2001 she served as deputy under secretary for food safety of the USDA, where she oversaw the implementation of HACCP-PR Program of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in over 6000 meat and poultry plants. She also was a senior advisor on agriculture and food safety to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro when Representative DeLauro became the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, which Rep. DeLauro now chairs. She has worked on voluntary and mandatory HACCP since she served on the Safety and Quality Oversight Committee at Hershey Foods Corporation.